VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT LIFE

Lawrence University (Lawrence), a nationally recognized liberal arts college and conservatory of music, seeks an inspiring and engaged leader to serve as Vice President for Student Life (VPSL). Reporting to the president and serving as a member of his senior team, the VPSL is responsible for an expansive portfolio that comprises all aspects of student life at Lawrence. The VPSL will serve as a critical strategic thought partner to the trustees, president, cabinet, faculty, staff, and students as they seek to enrich the student experience by enhancing the connection between the curricular and co-curricular experiences and building a more inclusive and equitable campus. With a highly personalized approach and visible presence on campus, the VPSL will contribute to the Lawrentian tradition of an experience focused on the human connection.

The new VPSL will join Lawrence at an auspicious moment of institutional growth. The university has been welcoming colleagues into newly created positions devoted to community building and campus climate while recent staff changes have Lawrence preparing for leadership transitions. This combination means the VPSL will join a motivated and energized group of colleagues, supporting an ambitious president, committed to making a meaningful impact on both the student experience and campus climate more broadly. With recent appointments overseeing diversity and inclusion, the center for academic success, athletics, spiritual and religious life, and a new provost and dean of the faculty, the VPSL will join a collaborative and energetic team poised to build on recent accomplishments and the institution’s long-standing commitment to liberal learning. The VPSL oversees a staff of approximately 40 individuals with 8 direct reports and a budget of about $3.6 M.

This is a tremendous opportunity for a dynamic and experienced academic administrator with a deep understanding of, and commitment to, the values of a residential liberal arts education to continue the work of building a 21st century student life operation while also enhancing Lawrence’s vibrant and collegial campus culture. Success in this position will require a student-centered advocate and visionary leader with an appreciation for the interdependence of the curricular and co-curricular aspects of the students’ education, and a capacity for building on the institution’s recent success in creating a more supportive and inclusive community. The VPSL will bring energy and interpersonal skills to enhance and develop innovative programs and implement systems at an institution focused on meeting its aspirations of enhancing an already rigorous academic experience. This individual will lead a division delivering a complex array of services and programs, and will advise and collaborate with colleagues across campus on matters that shape the student experience and campus culture.

Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, has been retained to assist with this search. All applications, inquiries, and nominations, which will remain confidential, should be sent to:

Lawrence is committed to enhancing the diversity of its faculty and staff and the viewpoints and approaches that a diverse community represents. We strongly encourage candidates who can contribute to diversity at Lawrence to apply.